Best Places In The World To Retire

If you move your residency to Portugal, under Portuguese law you are liable to pay taxes in Portugal. Portugal has signed treaties to prevent double taxation with 71 countries (including most European Countries, United States and Canada) that assure its citizens and residents the protection against being taxed in more than one country.
 
If you move your residency to Portugal you may be entitled to benefit from the Non Habitual Resident Regime that allows you to obtain tax...

If you move your residency to Portugal, under Portuguese law you are liable to pay taxes in Portugal. Portugal has signed treaties to prevent double taxation with 71 countries (including most European Countries, United States and Canada) that assure its citizens and residents the protection against being taxed in more than one country.
 
If you move your residency to Portugal you may be entitled to benefit from the Non Habitual Resident Regime that allows you to obtain tax exemptions on several types of income earned aboard such as pension income, dividends, interests, etc.
 
I cannot expand on the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion available to US taxpayers as I am not expert in US tax regulations.  If you are a US taxpayer I recommend that you ask your tax expert about the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, and how it could be combined with the Portuguese Non Habitual Resident Regime in order to give you the best outcome.

 

(View of the rooftops and the  seaside from The Blue Boutique Hostel and Suites, Estoril, Portugal, pictured.)

I found my paradise in Switzerland!  I'm sure there will be a number of opinions as to 'what are the best places in the world to live' but, rather than speculate, let me share with you where I reside and just a few reasons why I have found Switzerland to be THE best place in the world to live.

 

Switzerland has an overall population of only 8 million people, which is roughly the size of New York city proper, yet has remained in the top 5 most wealthiest...

I found my paradise in Switzerland!  I'm sure there will be a number of opinions as to 'what are the best places in the world to live' but, rather than speculate, let me share with you where I reside and just a few reasons why I have found Switzerland to be THE best place in the world to live.

 

Switzerland has an overall population of only 8 million people, which is roughly the size of New York city proper, yet has remained in the top 5 most wealthiest countries in the world since such statistics have been recorded.  As a people, the Swiss are among the most friendly, respectful, intelligent and caring I have met anywhere.  Their passion for precision and quality of life is second to none.

Switzerland is breath-taking.  The air is clean and crisp, the water is pure and refreshing, the alps are stunning in their majestic beauty, the atmosphere is cool and the sun's rays are warm.

 

After nearly a year here I have yet to find my first pothole!  Drivers are calm and relaxed, the roads are spectacularly built and maintained, the police are consummate professionals and emergency services rival the world's best.

 

Switzerland is prepared.  Swiss law mandates that every man, woman and child have food, water, medical supplies and fuel for a minimum of 2 years in the event of any emergency such as a natural disaster or war.  Every structure is required to have bomb shelters and no building permits are issued unless the architectural designs meet the demanding specifications of the respective canton (state).  The cement in these shelters (where we live) is dense beyond imagination.  When you pound on these blast doors you hear and feel a 'thud' that is void of any reverberation as if there were no air mixed in the cement at all, it's just 100% solid.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switzerland is armed.  Men, ages 18 to 50, spend three weeks per year in active military duty and are sent home with fully-automatic AK-47's and all the ammunition they can store.  Switzerland boasts the lowest crime rate in Europe and is far more heavily armed per capital than America.  Switzerland's armed forces are extremely formidable and built solely for defense.  I am appreciative and respectful of the Swiss mentality and respect for human life.

 

Switzerland is healthy.  The healthcare facilities and hospitals are an art form, literally.  Lobbies have fountains, designer stained-glass, smoked privacy mirrors, soft secondary-lighting systems, beautiful artwork on the walls and fresh flowers.  The number of staff far outweigh the number of patients and the care you receive is consistent from one visitation to the next.  Public medical equipment and care in Switzerland surpass that of most private institutions in other countries.

 

Switzerland is home.  It's enjoyable knowing you live in a country which places such a high-value on quality of life.  If, as an American, you wish to live here and obtain citizenship - you can do so.  With a minimum bank deposit of $100,000 (USD) it is possible to form a Società Anonyme (SA) and, along with personal assets in excess of $500,000 (USD) and 5 years of residency, you can obtain Swiss citizenship and passport.

 

In Panama, we have quite a few islands, so the answer could go on for quite some time if I covered all of them.  Here are the main ones:

Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro is a group of islands on the Atlantic side of Panama.  On Isla Colon (the main island of Bocas del Toro), there are hotels and restaurants, bars, and lots of amenities.
 
There are tours that can take you to different islands, each of which have their own attractions.  An...

In Panama, we have quite a few islands, so the answer could go on for quite some time if I covered all of them.  Here are the main ones:

Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro is a group of islands on the Atlantic side of Panama.  On Isla Colon (the main island of Bocas del Toro), there are hotels and restaurants, bars, and lots of amenities.
 
There are tours that can take you to different islands, each of which have their own attractions.  An island that is particularly interesting that I like is called Starfish Island, which is an island that is literally surrounded by starfish.  You can also go to Dolphin Cove, where you can see dolphins (it’s not just a name).

 

Bocas del Toro is good for diving, and is very peaceful and relaxing.  You can see caves and shipwrecks.
 
In addition, Bocas del Toro has lots of nightlife, with lots of young people.

 

San Blas Islands 

We also have another group of islands in Panama called San Blas, also on the Atlantic side of Panama.  The San Blas Islands are the home of the Kuna Indians, which are the indigenous people.  The area is actually its own comarca, which is semi-autonomous region.  It is a protected area where only the indigenous people can live.
 
In San Blas and you have to follow and respect their rules, and there are a lot of them.  For example, if you go fishing, you have to get permission, and they will take you to a special place to do it.  You may be able to go free diving, but if you want to use tanks, there are only certain places where it is allowed.   The reason is that they want to protect the environment.
 
You can see sea turtles in San Blas.  There are no fancy accommodations; very rural.

 

Las Perlas Islands

We have Archipelago Las Perlas (also known as the Pearl Islands), which is a group of islands including Contadora and Coiba on the Pacific side of Panama.  (Contadora Island is highlighted in the map to the right.  Panama City is in orange.)  In Coiba, for example, you can do some amazing diving.

 
Some of the islands in the Las Perlas chain are more developed, with amenities like very good hotels.  You can go fishing, diving, and perhaps just visiting to spend the day at the beach.  You can stay for several days and it is very relaxing.  There is not that much nightlife on the Perlas Islands.
 
To get to any of the Las Perlas Islands, you would generally go from Panama City, either taking a plane or a boat.  To get to Contadora Island, it would take about 45 minutes by plane or about 2 hours by boat.
 
Anywhere on any of these islands, it is very safe.  People walk around at all different times.  It is absolutely rare to have any incident.
 
The islands on the Pacific side and the Atlantic (Caribbean) side are very different, but they are all beautiful. 
 

When we moved to Belize, I drove down my truck loaded with stuff, and a neighbor donating a small bus to Belize allowed me to use some of the bus for bringing a few extra things, probably a small trailer's worth. In the few years leading up to the full time move, we brought down suitcases jammed. We brought the following: dishes, pots and pans, limited artwork and pictures, computer, tools, Honda mower, cordless tools, a few select pieces of furniture, TV, sound dock, digital...

When we moved to Belize, I drove down my truck loaded with stuff, and a neighbor donating a small bus to Belize allowed me to use some of the bus for bringing a few extra things, probably a small trailer's worth. In the few years leading up to the full time move, we brought down suitcases jammed. We brought the following: dishes, pots and pans, limited artwork and pictures, computer, tools, Honda mower, cordless tools, a few select pieces of furniture, TV, sound dock, digital music, a set of 6 stackable faux wicker chairs, a few lamps, clothes, and our five cats (on the airline w/ my wife). I missed a few things, since replaced (small compressor, pressure washer, etc.). But, we did it mostly right, for us.

 

Things have changed a lot. There are shippers who can bring down everything from individual boxes to container loads. We had basically all of our furniture built here by a local cabinet maker. We are convinced it was the right call.  We try to help people with resources for these decisions. We now use a very competent and reasonable shipper in the US for purchases on Amazon to Walmart, etc., to buy other "stuff." It's a very individualized question.  For us it worked. Our goal was to simplify our life moving to Belize. That meant letting go of a lot of "stuff". You will figure it out!

 

(The Walmart in Mexico across the bay from Corozal, Belize, pictured.)

• Canopy.  The best-known place for canopy is The Flying Frog, located right on the outskirts of San Juan del Sur.  They are known for providing a very long and spectacular ride, where you can see great views of San Juan del Sur, including the entire coast.

• Horseback riding.  There are many, many opportunities to do horseback riding in San Juan del...

• Canopy.  The best-known place for canopy is The Flying Frog, located right on the outskirts of San Juan del Sur.  They are known for providing a very long and spectacular ride, where you can see great views of San Juan del Sur, including the entire coast.

• Horseback riding.  There are many, many opportunities to do horseback riding in San Juan del Sur and a full range of possibilities, from renting a horse on a farm,  to different sized tour operators.

• Hiking and walking.  I would differentiate hiking from walking in San Juan del Sur in that you can hike around the small mountains and hills around San Juan del Sur (which is fairly strenuous), while walking is fairly flat and more for seeing wildlife.  For both, there are lots and lots of trails.  I don’t recommend hiking or even walking without a guide.  Even though there are trails everywhere, they are not very well marked, so if you don’t go with someone who knows, it would be easy to get lost.  Most of the hikes involve lots of the small mountains and hills that surround San Juan del Sur.

• Mountain biking.  You would use the same trails for mountain biking as you would for hiking, so you should still have a guide until you know your way around and it can be fairly strenuous.  There are not lots of places to rent mountain bikes, but there are a few, for example, some surf shops rent them.